Wasatch waits, then thumps visiting Uintah

HEBER CITY  The ducks weren't exactly in a row for Wasatch's boys soccer team to get off to a fast start against Uintah Wednesday afternoon.

The fourth-ranked Wasps were coming off a pair of losses, they endured what coach Dawain Wheatley termed 'two really crappy practices' and had been spending most of their time trying to get their field cleared of unmelted snow.

To top it off, kick-off was delayed for 70 minutes because of a bomb threat to Wasatch School District buildings. To be fair, the delay probably hurt Wasatch's opponent much more than it did the Wasps, but it certainly wasn't conducive to a quick start.

Yet once the two squads finally got on the field, it took Wasatch sweeper Cameron Lowry barely more than two minutes to put his name on the score sheet.

Lowry's free header in the 3rd minute got the Wasps off to a perfect start, and they didn't look back. Wasatch led 3-0 at halftime and cruised to a comfortable 4-1 win over the Utes.

"It was an eye-opener," Lowry said of back-to-back losses to Sky View and Judge last week.

"We just needed to come out and step it up, and play like we know how to play. As coach Wheatley said, 'We're a good team but we needed to come out and be a great team.' And that's what we did today."

Lowry certainly did his part in that regard.

From a well-placed corner kick by Victor Sosa, the 6-foot-3 defender rose extremely well and drilled his header into the back of the net, marking the fourth time this season he's scored. (All four have been headed goals from corner kicks.)

And going the other way, he marshaled Wasatch's stingy backline. Because Uintah plays with three forwards up top, Wheatley opted to play with three marking backs, instead of a stopper and two marking backs, against the Utes.

Near the end of the first half, Scott Laneri and Mathew Wheatley scored to give Wasatch an imperious lead, and after Tyler Larsen pulled a goal back for Uintah in the 53rd minute, Taylor Ford completed the Wasps' scoring with a crisp finish two minutes later.

In the end, both teams were just glad they were able to get Wednesday's contest in.

Wasatch High plays its matches behind JR Elementary School, which was evacuated in the early afternoon because of a bomb threat. Uintah sat in its bus in the parking lot at the Heber City Smith's, while Wasatch waited outside a nearby LDS church.

And once the elementary was cleared, Wasatch High realized that only one of the game's officials was there.

"What a crazy, crazy day," said Wheatley, shaking his head. "Having to wait an hour (and then) the officials don't show up  just a crazy day in Wasatch County. I've never experienced anything like that."